Making Out Is Hard To Do
by HelenVanPattersonPatton
Summary: *SPOILERS* Based on the promo photos from 2x15: 'French Me, You Idiot'. Purely speculation, but do not read if you are attempting to stay unspoiled.


**Author's Note:** _I mean, come on. Did you see those photos and their stupid, happy faces? How could I resist?_

* * *

Danny's got his luggage with him, which doesn't necessarily mean anything except that he didn't want to drop it off at his place before coming over. It's also means that he can stay a little later in the morning and not have to go home to get ready for work. Because he is _definitely_ spending the night.

There's a smile on his face that can be classified as nothing short of blissful, and _he's holding her hand_. For some reason that one detail feels tremendously important, making her stomach flutter. He's staying.

Then the elevator doors open and Cliff is there, smiling and happy and taking her back. Danny pulls his hand away and her heart sinks.

He's watching expectantly while Cliff starts gushing about her letter, the words Danny murmured in her ear haunting and twisting in her gut hearing them repeated back from the wrong person. And she's going to do it, she is. Just not with Morgan pushing her and Cliff together in the hallway, taking pictures with her phone and chattering about how this is going to be perfect for the slideshow at their wedding reception.

Danny's face crumbles at that and, Morgan or not, she's doing this now. The words are on her lips - _I was wrong. I think we should break up -_ when his phone rings.

Cliff's grandmother is dead. And with her all of Mindy's hopes of ending this easily. Danny offers his condolences and doesn't meet her eyes before he leaves.

* * *

It's when she takes her phone with her into the bathroom that Mindy first feels like a cheater. She texts him anyway, fingers flying and not taking the time to second guess her words.

_This doesn't change anything. We're not back together. I need to see you. Meet me early at the office tomorrow so we can be alone for a few minutes?_

Sitting on her sofa, Cliff crying pitifully and her in that God-awful nightgown her Aunt Gita left the last time she stayed, Danny texts back.

_Of course. Anything. Any time._

Mindy smiles, hiding it quickly behind her hand. Cliff snuffles and blows into the tissue and she feels like an asshole.

* * *

"Hey." Danny meets her at his office door. He's been here an hour, not really knowing how early she meant and not being able to sleep anyway. A good kind of not being able to sleep. He even brought pastries. Danny had shredded wheat like always, but she might like some. It might make her mouth sweet.

"Hey." She smiles at him, the one that doesn't show any teeth and pulls the edges of her lips up. He's gotten that one a bunch of times since yesterday. Danny closes the door softly behind her and takes a step back. He wants to kiss her good morning, but resists because once he starts he isn't sure short of an air marshal he will be able to stop, and he thinks she has things she wants to talk about.

"Um," she hesitates, eyes flicking to his mouth, and maybe he was wrong. Maybe she's waiting for him to kiss her. He's about to, then she takes one deep breath and doesn't stop again for air, her hands waving to help make the point. "I'm sorry about last night. You know I was going to talk to him, but then he was there, ambushing me, _with Morgan_, and then his grandmother died, and I had - well, more like _we_ had just begged him to come back, and - you saw his face - I couldn't break up with him right_ then_, and he wanted to stay and I didn't know what to do, Danny, and now I have to go to-"

"Mindy. Mindy, it's okay. You did the right thing." He runs his fingers up her jacket-clad arm.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean - it's not like I _liked _it." Her face twitches a little at that and he thinks she might have taken that differently than he meant it. "Not because I thought something would happen between you two - just. I pictured our night going differently."

"Oh yeah?" She's smiling again. This time wide and toothy and leering a little too, and it eases his chest, not even noticing when it constricted. "How did you see it going?"

"A lot less you consoling Cliff and a lot more you and me. . . ya know."

Mindy's openly beaming at him now, her eyes twinkling in a way he thinks means she's making fun of him. "_Ya know_... what? If you can't bring yourself to say it how do you ever expect to get it?"

"Shut up." He grasps her elbow and pulls her to him. "You know what."

Danny's lips brush hers lightly, letting himself enjoy the easy way they can do this now. He hears the ding of the elevator and ignores it. It could be anybody. Probably going to a different floor even.

Her hand snakes around his waist and Mindy sighs the tiniest bit. He can feel her eyelashes dust his cheek and then footsteps and - _shit_. He hears footsteps.

"OH MY GOD!"

Shit! It's Peter. He must have seen - no. That's impossible. The door is closed.

"Beverley! Are you seriously sleeping in my office?!"

"Chill out. It's just until I get another car," she answers, her voice muffled.

"Why has nobody fired you?"

Mindy chuckles and pulls away. He smiles back at her, the memory of Mindy doing just that and earning a punch to the face feeling like a million years ago.

"We should probably -" she starts.

"Yeah. I'll go keep Peter from gettin' sucker-punched and you can sneak back to your office."

She nods and wipes what little lipstick there must be from his mouth with her thumb.

* * *

It isn't three hours later when Danny finds Morgan all but completely naked with Tamera in the supply closet. And seriously?! Who the hell all is secretly hooking up in this office?! Next thing you know Jeremy will be banging . . . God. . . Betsy or somebody and this will have turned into one of those stupid shows Mindy loves and not a professional medical practice.

Danny would be absolutely indignant if he wasn't one of them.

* * *

Danny tries all day long to come up with a time to see her alone. He thinks maybe lunch, but the only free time they have all day doesn't match up; he has appointments and she has procedures scheduled.

They don't even see each other, not more than in passing, until they both go to leave. Danny's been loitering in his office for forty-five minutes waiting to 'clandestinely' walk to the elevator with her.

Standing there waiting for the doors to open, voices hushed so the remaining staff can't hear, he asks what has been nagging him all day. "Tonight?"

"Oh. I -uh. I kinda told Cliff I would come over to his place and help him go over the eulogy. The funeral is tomorrow."

"Yeah. Right. You should help him with that." He wants to look at her but he's afraid his face will be too full of disappointment. And she doesn't need that right now.

"I can maybe go later if you want to -"

"Nah. No." He shakes his head, and finding the most honest words he can think of and looking at her says, "I can wait. I'm not going anywhere."

She's looking back at him beautifully, full of lightness and vibrancy in the way only Mindy can, and he wants so badly to hold her hand. How fucking stupid is that? He's nearly forty years old and in this moment the idea of simply holding this woman's hand is enough to make his heart race.

The doors slide open and he thinks, if he's fast, he can hold her hand and kiss her properly before they ever make it to the lobby. And then there is a fucking midwife in the elevator and he thinks he's maybe never hated a Deslaurier more.

It's Duncan so of course he smiles shyly and waves his fingers at them as they step past him into the corner. He keeps his head straight, eyes forward in a way that seems like it would be impossible to notice what is happening behind him and Danny thinks about taking her hand anyway. But damn it, it's Duncan. That man is a savant or something. He'd sniff them out in a second.

They part ways on the sidewalk, Mindy headed downtown towards Cliff's apartment.

Danny misses her narrating on the train. Hell. Danny just misses her.

* * *

He resigns himself to being alone again tonight, and this time puts more effort into handling it like an adult. Danny makes some pasta, a preseason baseball game playing on the TV in the background. After dinner he sips a glass of bourbon, trying unsuccessfully to focus on his book. By 10:30 he's having a hard enough time keeping his eyes open that he thinks he may be able to sleep.

And he does, falling immediately over that edge as soon as he's in bed, his legs scissored in the sheets.

He dreams about her.

* * *

Danny wakes up an hour before the alarm is set to go off and lies there, not wanting to get up but wanting to _move_. To do whatever he needs to to ensure that another day doesn't pass without her.

In the still-dark of the room Danny checks his cell phone, stretching and thinking how he just needs to get in the shower.

There are two missed text messages:

11:06:_ I'm leaving Cliff's. Can I come over?_

11:11: _Are you awake?_

Shit. It's barely 6:00 but Danny calls her anyway. It rings four times before it connects, rustling greeting him on the other end. "Mm?"

"I can't believe I was asleep."

"Hey. 'S okay. It was late." Her voice is raspy and sleep-ridden and it is sexy as hell. Danny can imagine in detail waking up to that every morning.

"Not _that _late. You should have come over anyway."

"Thought about it. Decided maybe we both could use the sleep." He's nodding in reluctant agreement as if she can see him. "And no. It really wasn't that late, you old geezer. Is this what I have to look forward to?"

He chuckles even as the words hook in his heart. "Nah. There's a lot to look forward to and an early bedtime isn't on the list."

Mindy exhales like she thinks it's funny, but there's more to it, the current shifting. "Danny -"

"God, I want to see you."

"I know. I mean, I want to see you too."

"What about now?"

"Um...I've got appointments early, and by the time I could get ready -"

"I can come over there."

"We'd only have like five minutes."

"I can do a lot in five minutes."

"_Do_ a lot, huh? That's ambitious."

"Not _that_. You think I'd lead with speed? Give me a little credit here, Min."

"I will only take you on your word for so long before you have to prove yourself."

"All right. What are you doing around lunchtime today?" He's smiling into the phone, flirting with her with every intention of following through being nearly as good as having her here. Nearly.

"Actually," he can hear her swallow. "The funeral is this afternoon."

"Oh, right," he says evenly. "It'll be in the city?" Danny hopes she doesn't think he's asking that question because he doesn't want to imagine them going out of town together. Even though that is exactly why he's asking.

"Yeah. At 1:30."

"How's he holding up?"

"I don't want to talk about him, Danny."

The resigned way she says it makes his stomach clench. "Why not? Is there something I should know about?"

"No! And I'm going to over look that thinly veiled accusation, thank you. There's something that _he_ should know about. And right now I don't really feel like discussing the man who I am basically cheating on, with the co-cheater."

"You haven't technically cheated on him yet. Not too late to change your mind." Mindy is silent for a really long time and Danny is pretty sure he just fucked up big time. He didn't mean it to sound so cavalier. He wanted an assurance is all.

"Is that what you want?"

"I didn't mean it like that. You know it isn't."

"Yeah, I think I do and then you go and say stupid crap like that!"

"I'm sorry. I will definitely hold you to cheating on your boyfriend with me."

"Good. Because I've already been thinking about it a_ lot_ and it would be a huge disappoint at this point."

"You been thinkin' about me, huh?" He grins.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself. You've been thinking about me too."

"But you said _a_ _lot._ You've got it bad for me, don't ya?"

"Whatever. If we were keeping score on who has it worse you would so be losing."

"How do you figure that?"

"I'm basing it on _you_ kissing _me_ and the 7.3 seconds it took you to grab my butt."

"I can't argue with those stats. You have a really nice butt."

"Thanks. Yours doesn't look too shabby either. Since I haven't had the hands on experience you have though, I'm going to have to withhold my final judgment."

"Fair. I'll work on making that happen for you."

"Do that, will ya." Her voice is vibrating with restrained laughter and God, he wishes she was here right now. The line grows silent and the sun is just starting to peek through the curtains and Danny can already feel another day without her slipping away.

"When will I see you?"

"Like an hour and a half, be patient."

"No. _Alone_. When are we going to just get to be together?"

"Oh. I was planning on talking to Cliff tonight, after everything is over. I don't think - it isn't going to be easy, Danny. He's in really bad shape and can't stop talking about how he doesn't know how he would be able to get through this if I wasn't here. . . I'm going to break up with him the same day he buries his grandmother, so we're either going to have a lot to talk about, or he's going to kick me out, like, immediately."

"Nah, I get it. You're right. No matter what it's going to be a bad day. You don't have to feel pressured to come over here too. Just - call me, okay? Or text or tweet or something, whatever. Just so I know that it's over and you're okay."

"Yeah. I can do that."

"I'm sorry I put you in this position. I know you don't want to hurt him."

"Well, first of all, you didn't put me in this position, I did. You may be really freaking persuasive, but I still have free will. And I'm not sorry. It sucks and I hate hurting him so much that I think I'm getting a rash but - it's worth it. Being with you is worth it."

"Mindy -"

"Nah, no, don't. I'm not gettin' all sentimental on you, I just thought you should know. I don't regret any of this."

"Good. Me either."

"Good. Now hang up the phone or I'm going to be late for work."

"You've got almost two hours before your first appointment!"

"Yeah. And it's going to take me nearly all of that time just to get my hair right, so..."

"Okay. I'm going. I'm going."

* * *

"Hey. Have you seen Mindy?" Cliff pokes his head around Danny's office door, face looking like a kicked-puppy.

Simply hearing him say her name makes Danny's stomach drop out, and for the first time he feels like a bastard for his part in all of this. All the things that Mindy said this morning about her cheating on Cliff fall into sharp focus. Danny's been there before. And he never thought he would ever been the kind of man to put another in that position.

"Uh, no. Nah. Not for - it's been -"

"She wasn't in her office. I wanted to see her before I left."

"She isn't going with you?"

"Yeah, she is. She's meeting me there. Family stuff before and everything." His eyes are tinged pink and he blinks a few times. "Listen, I know we're not that close or. . . just - if you wanted to come with her it would be okay."

"Oh." He's asking him to go. That - no. The amount of inappropriate it would be is too much, even if before this point they were kind of friends. "I -"

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Mindy slips around Cliff, angling her body in between them, her eyebrows gathered tight.

"I was looking for you. I wanted to see you for a minute before I left." Cliff's whole face has changed, relaxing visibly the moment she walks in the room.

It makes Danny stupidly jealous. "Yeah. And Cliff was asking me to attend the service. I'll just go with you. 'Kay, Min?"

Her eyes flash at him in what looks a lot like a warning, but she doesn't say anything.

* * *

Mindy cries through the whole funeral. Sure, she'd never met the woman and Cliff had only mentioned her a couple times in passing, but come on, she isn't heartless. The moment she sees Cliff's grandfather, small and dignified even with hurt etched deeply in his face, she loses it.

Cliff slips his hand in hers, stroking with his thumb, and she's pretty sure he's crying too. Only she can't look at him to see because suddenly all she can think about is Danny and how it would feel to someday be in Cliff's granddad's place.

After the service is over the family gathers alone to pay their final respects and Mindy takes the moment to collect herself. There's no way she can keep it together at the wake feeling like this, tears still tracking down her face. She feels like such a fucking imposter, like being here knowing that she's about to break up with Cliff is somehow mocking their grief.

There's a small room off the sanctuary, a tiered table of candles against one wall. Mindy's not entirely sure what they're for, but she thinks it has something to do with prayers or forgiveness or something, so she lights one and directs a abstract thought about absolution into the ether.

It's the cadence of his walk that gives him away; Mindy doesn't have to turn around to know it's Danny who's followed her. He touches her and she turns into him, dragging her arms around his neck and hugging tightly.

"Hey. What's wrong?" He's murmuring the words warmly against her hair, his hands spanning wide and comforting on her back.

She can't say to him that she feels like a bad person, a fake, but more than that she's unable to shake this insane fear of losing him, either now or in fifty years. So she avoids the question. "I'm okay. Just, tighter please."

Danny exhales in a puff and does as she asks, squeezing hard. It does the trick, Mindy easing into him, her nose at his neck breathing in the scent of his skin. He's rocking imperceptibly on the balls of his feet, their bodies swaying.

His grasp loosens, pulling away and brushing his thumb gently along her rapidly drying cheek. Without even opening her eyes Mindy leans forward and finds his mouth. It catches Danny by surprise, hesitating only a moment before hungrily kissing her back. His hands fist in her dress and teeth pull on her lip before running his tongue over the tender skin and into her mouth.

Mindy pulls on his neck desperately and they stumble, staggering back until her leg hits the table, glass rattling, and they regain their balance. He's everywhere, his hand low on the small of her back firmly pressing their bodies together, the other wound in her hair, tugging for leverage.

The way Danny shifts, knee pulling the fabric of her skirt taught between her legs as he presses closer elicits a moan, nearly unmaking her.

"What the fu-"

Cliff's voice shoots down her spine with a sickening chill. Danny pulls away and she's grateful, the presence mind to do it herself gone. She looks past Danny's shoulder to the doorway, and is surprised to see Cliff not looking at her, but slightly past her.

She follows his gaze to see low orange flames licking up a tall stack of bibles on the floor, reaching ever closer to the long, dry-rotted drapes.

"Oh my god!" Mindy cries, feet rooted to the tile floor.

Cliff pushes past them, jerking the Bible-scene tapestry off the wall and beating at the flames with it. "Go get help!"

Still Mindy doesn't move, not until Danny is racing out the door and she follows dumbly after him.

* * *

"I really don't think this is necessary. He throws a terrible punch." Danny takes the bag of frozen peas from her anyway but doesn't bring it to him face, choosing instead to take another long sip of wine.

"Doesn't mean it won't swell, marring your beautiful face." He is going tease her about that comment, but when he smiles it hurts, the skin around his eye-socket tight and burning.

"Danny -" Mindy turns facing him again and frowns, hand popping to her hip in disapproval. "I'm serious."

She walks back to him and taking the bag from his hand, places it against his skin. It's too cold and makes him flinch the tiniest bit, Mindy bringing her free hand up to cup his face gently. Her eyes soft and a little teasing.

"Maybe not a _terrible_ punch," he says.

"I heard your teeth rattle."

"No. You did?"

"Yeah, but you looked really good taking it. Very manly."

"Thanks," he mutters. His hand has found it's way to her waist, thumb skating her ribs. Mindy casts her eyes down to his mouth and he wants to kiss her. But they have the time now, all the urgency from the last three days gone. They have the time to take this slowly now without the fear of being interrupted, and there is at least one thing he needs to know first.

"Are you okay?" he asks quietly.

She takes a deep breath and considers the question, her hand slipping down to his shoulder. "Yeah. Or I will be, anyway."

"Yeah?"

"I mean, it could have gone way worse. I could have pushed Cliff in front of a bus or something."

"Or set the church on fire."

"Hey! That was both our faults!"

"No, you're right."

"Is that going to like, mess you up somehow?" she asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Like with God. Is there protocol for when you accidentally torch a bunch of Bibles and nearly burn down a house of worship?"

"There is if it had been a Catholic church; there's a whole letter you gotta write to the Pope for absolution and stuff. It's not a big deal, just takes a couple years to get taken off your record. But since it was a Presbyterian church, I'm good."

"Seriously?!"

"No, not seriously. God, you're gullible sometimes."

"Danny!" She shoves on his shoulder, the rapidly melting bag of peas slipping from his face. He dips his head down, kissing her quickly, pulling away before her eyes even flutter closed. "What was that for?"

Taking the bag from her, he tosses it across the kitchen, into the sink, and shrugs. "For having faith in me, even when sometimes I don't deserve it." He kisses her temple, the skin at the corner of her eye impossibly soft.

"Oh."

"For always being full of surprises." He kisses her jaw.

"How am I surprising?" Mindy runs her hands up his arms as he pulls her closer.

"It's a million different things, all the time. Like you actually having vegetables in your freezer. Shocked the hell out of me." He's smiling into her neck.

"It's purely for external, medicinal purposes, I assure you," she says, her breath coming quicker as she tilts her head, giving him more access. He takes it, pushing her hair back and sucking hard enough her fingers tighten around his arm, but not so hard as to leave a mark.

"And because," alternating scraping his teeth down her throat and kissing her gently. "You're super hot and I can't keep my hands off you."

She's got an arm snaked around his neck now and is pushing her body into his, the way that she's eager and pliant against him and actually able to _do_ something about it this time making his head light.

"Danny?"

"Mm-hmm," he mumbles into her collarbone.

"You made your point."

"Okay." He slides his mouth back to hers and parts her lips with his tongue.

"Mm," she moans loudly and takes a big step back, pulling him with her. It takes him a moment to realize she's dragging him to her bedroom.

It is not an easy trip, running into walls and door jams the whole way like a pinball. And it would probably be easier if he took both hands off her ass. He doesn't and they'll probably both have bruises to show for it. That's okay. He'll buy her a whole freezer full of medicinal peas.


End file.
